MAM
Shashi Sinha is BARC TechComm chairman
MUMBAI: The first step towards making the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) operational has been taken with the formation of the television audience measurement body‘s technical committee.
IPG Mediabrands India CEO Shashi Sinha has been appointed as the chairman of the technical committee of BARC.
BARC, constituted in July 2010 under the Companies Act, aims to set up a transparent and credible television audience measurement system in India. BARC would be the umbrella body and television audience measurement service providers like TAM Media Research, a joint venture of Nielsen and Kantar, will function under it for the purpose of providing ratings.
India TV strategist Paritosh Joshi and Hindustan Unilever head of CMI South Smita Bhosale are members of the committee.
Sinha said, “Setting up of the technical committee is very important for the pushing of BARC but the board (of BARC) is supreme. The Committee will make all the recommendations in terms of how sampling and other technical things should be done. So it will be a recommendation body but the final decision will be taken by BARC board.”
BARC is headed by Zeel CEO Punit Goenka as chairman. The board includes six broadcasters, two advertisers – HUL executive director home and personal care Hemant Bakshi and ex-P&G India chairman and managing director Bharat Patel – and two agency executives – GroupM South Asia CEO Vikram Sakhuja and RK Swamy BBDO chairman and MD Sunder K Swamy.
BARC is 60 per cent owned by the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) and 20 per cent each by the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA).
Brands
Sting launches ‘Sound of Six’ cricket campaign
Pepsico energy drink ties signature sonic to every boundary hit with Yuvraj Singh and Ravi Shastri.
MUMBAI: Sting just turned every six into its own personal anthem because nothing says “energy” like a boundary that hits different notes. Pepsico India’s Sting energy drink has rolled out the latest chapter of its sonic branding with “Sound of Six”, a nationwide campaign syncing the brand’s signature “Sting” sound to the varying power of cricket sixes this season. The push positions Sting as the audio heartbeat of high-octane moments on the pitch, using its sonic identity to “qualify” shots from gentle lofted clears to monster maximums.
The launch film, featuring cricket legends Yuvraj Singh and Ravi Shastri, unfolds on a sunlit ground with playful banter that builds into a sequence of escalating hits. As Singh smashes the ball, he quips that the length and force of the shot should dial up the intensity of the Sting sound. Shastri’s commentary ramps up accordingly, riffing on the brand name with escalating flair to match each strike’s energy turning a simple boundary into an audible spectacle.
Pepsico India category head for energy portfolio Diksha Bajaj said, “Cricket is a major passion point in this country. Our campaign is rooted in the insight that no two sixes are the same. We set out to use the Sting sonic identity as a qualifier that redefines every hit.”
Yuvraj Singh added, “This campaign turns the feeling of hitting a six into something fans can hear. It is bold and matches the intensity of the game.”
Ravi Shastri chimed in, “Commentating on a six is an exhilarating part of the game. This campaign adds a new dimension by introducing a distinct sonic. The idea of owning the sound of every six is relatable for fans.”
Leo Burnett South Asia chief creative officer Vikram Pandey noted that pairing Singh’s power-hitting with Shastri’s iconic voice lets the brand relive cricket’s electric moments through a fresh, auditory lens.
The campaign will air across television, digital platforms, and social media, timed to catch the fever of the ongoing cricket season. For fans who live for the roar of the crowd and the crack of the bat, Sting’s betting that the next big six won’t just be seen, it’ll be heard loud and clear.
